Instructors• Prof. Franco Taroni, Forensic statistics• Prof. Christophe Champod, Identification evidence• Prof. Alex Biedermann, Graphical models• Dr. Sc. Tacha Hicks Champod, Trace evidence (including DNA)

Professor Colin Aitken (University of Edinburgh, Scotland) and Dr. Sc. Ian Evett (United Kingdom) will act as consultants and take an active part in the course.

All of them have extensive theoretical and practical experience with evaluation and interpretation from laboratory to courtroom. They have published over the years numerous scholarly papers and textbooks on the subjects of evaluation and statistics in forensic science.

RegistrationFill in the registration form and upload your CV online and copies of your diplomas.

Preference will be given to foren-sic scientists with casework and reporting experience.

Course fee12,000 Swiss Francs

ContactsFor academic questions: sefe@unil.chFor administrative questions: formcont@unil.ch

«There is a critical need in most fields of forensic science to raise the standards for reporting and testifying about the results of investigations.» National Research Council, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States : A Path Forward. Committee on Identifying the Needs of the Forensic Sciences Community, Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics (2009) p. 6-3

Statistics and the Evaluation of Forensic EvidenceRegister at Formation Continue UNIL-EPFL.

www.formation-continue-unil-epfl.ch/en/statistics-evaluation-forensic-evidence-cas

Target audiencePractitioners from any forensic discipline – e.g. reporting officers, chief scientists, lawyers – with a University degree (at least BSc) or an equivalent degree of a higher education programme

Dates and scheduleThe course lasts 18 months with a workload per week of : • 4 hours on the online platform, • 3 to 4 hours of personal work.The course is offered on a yearly basis. See the course website for the next registration deadlines.

Certification• Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Statistics and the Evaluation of Forensic Evidence delivered by the University of Lausanne• 20 ECTS credits

Organisation• Faculty of Law, Criminal Justice and Public Administration, University of Lausanne, Switzerland

IntroductionThis online Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) is designed to train practitioners in the most up-to-date approaches to the evaluation and interpretation of scientific evidence. It will provide sound theoretical and practical background in proba-bilistic and statistical reasoning. A probabilistic framework will be established and its use will be illustrated by an extensive set of realistic case studies. The course addresses practical issues of interpretation that forensic scientists encounter in their daily activities : interpre-tation of raw data, sampling issues, communication of findings in both written and oral statements.

Objectives• To gain specialized and up-to-date knowledge in the field of forensic interpretation and evaluation of evidence• To master probabilistic reasoning, Bayesian networks and statistical methods using appropriate tools and softwares • To manage issues of interpretation at a high level from case reception to court• To acquire skills in oral and written communication of uncertainty• To develop independence and self-confidence in solving practical inferential problems• To gain a harmonised view with regard to interpretation across forensic disciplines and laboratories, including the establishment of Standard Operating Procedures

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Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) / Online course

Statistics and the Evaluation of Forensic EvidenceConducted once a year

www.formation-continue-unil-epfl.ch

Formation Continue UNIL-EPFLEPFL Innovation Park Bâtiment E

CH -1015 Lausanne SuisseTél.: +41 21 693 71 20 formcont@unil.ch

www.formation-continue-unil-epfl.ch

Statistics and the Evaluation of Forensic Evidence Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS)

Program

Cursus• 6 core modules • 2 specialised modules• Regular on-line evaluation on all modulesParticipants will take all core modules and choose one of the two specialised modules.Core modules cover interdisciplinary interpretation issues that cross forensic disciplines. Specific evidential topics such as DNA, micro-traces, marks and impressions or handwriting will be covered in specialised modules.

Methodological approach• Online training will allow the latest knowledge and expertise to be brought directly to your workplace without consideration of distances, travel expenses or time schedules• Specialists from well-established forensic institutions and participants will study and discuss case scenarios involving scientific evidence • Theoretical online material will be reinforced by formative and evaluative casework exercises • Specialised computer programs for evaluation and interpretation will be used (e.g. R, Hugin) and a registered forum will allow the sharing of hypothetical cases • Videoconferences will be organised to support specific learning tasks• Participants will also have an opportunity to put together a personal portfolio

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Core modules

Core module

Specialised modules

MODULE 1 : UNCERTAINTY IN FORENSIC SCIENCEPrinciples of interpretation / Statistics and the nature of probability / Hierarchy of propositions / Statement writing and fallacies / Bayesian Networks

MODULE 6a : DNA EVIDENCEPopulation genetics / Paternity / Missing persons / Mixtures analysis / MtDNA, STR-Y, further case studies on evaluation of DNA given activity level propositions

MODULE 6b : FROM GLASS TO FINGERPRINTSFingerprints and face recognition / Footwear marks and tool marks / Handwriting / Sample size determination / Multivariate data analysis / Glass, fibres, drugs, GSR/FDR

MODULE 7 : EVIDENTIAL MATTERSCombination of evidence / Database selection / Cross transfer / Courtroom presentation / Laboratory error

MODULE 2 : ASSESSING EVIDENCE GIVEN SOURCE LEVEL PROPOSITIONS Assigning a likelihood ratio (LR) / The two trace problem / Statement writing / Standard Operating Procedures / Bayesian networks

MODULE 3 : ASSESSING EVIDENCE GIVEN ACTIVITY LEVEL PROPOSITIONSEstimation of a proportion / Additional factors (transfer, persistence, background) / LR development / Bayesian networks

MODULE 4 : ASSESSING EVIDENCE GIVEN OFFENCE LEVEL PROPOSITIONSRelevance / Multiple offenders / LR development / Bayesian networks

MODULE 5 : PRE-ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF CASESCase and evidence pre-assessment / Case strategy / Bayesian networks